Travel to Latin America with these 5 Tamales - We Are Cocina (2024)

FAQs

Why are tamales so important to Hispanic culture? ›

Tamales are about tradition. They bring the entire family together. It is part art, part hard work, part repetitive labor but all family bonding. This is a very special time that brings generations together, an event families look forward to each year, making it a joyous and meaningful gathering.

Some hypothesize that tamales made their way to the Mississippi Delta in the early twentieth century when migrant laborers from Mexico arrived to work the cotton harvest. African Americans who labored alongside Mexican migrants recognized the basic tamale ingredients: corn meal and pork.

Tamales originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC. The preparation of tamales is likely to have spread from the indigenous cultures in Guatemala and Mexico to the rest of Latin America.

Tamales continue to have great significance as a form of sustenance and as a symbolic element in Mexican and Mexican American cultures. Tamales are strongly associated with themes of unity, celebration, family, kinship, and community.

Tamales verdes.

The bright, herbal and spicy mix of tomatillo and green chilies pair up with chicken or pork to create the most popular tamal, whether it comes wrapped in corn or plantain.

Tamales are typical of Guatemalan cuisine and are basically flavorful mixes of dough, meat, and sauces steamed in large leaves. Tamales are at the core of the Mayan diet; the Mayans made tamales for their warriors and travelers in order provide food for weeks on the go.

Tamales represent the coming together of family members who gather around to make and eat them. They're easy to make, but when fixed traditionally, they can be very time-consuming. That's what makes them so special during the holidays.

During the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920, the tamale played a prominent role as it has been described as the food of the masses. It essentially sustained the diet of the revolutionaries as they tried to oust the Federal Army. After the revolution, it catapulted the tamale to become the national food.

Tamales are super nutritious and tasty; there's a reason they've been around for centuries! They have fiber, micronutrients, resistant starch, and protein that can promote health for many people. But tamales are so much more than just their nutrition facts.

“Tamales can be carried on and placed in an airplane's overhead bin. Just make sure that any salsa packed with those tamales is packed in a container measuring 3.4 ounces or less.”

Who first ate tamales? ›

Tamales were first eaten by the Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, and Toltec civilizations, whose people took tamales along when they went hunting or on long trips. These civilizations also used tamales to feed soldiers when they went off to battle.

Tamales were the first dish made from corn in Mesoamerica. Evidence of tamale cooking dates back to ancient civilizations in Mexico as early as 8000 BC. Although the exact history is not entirely clear, many historians believe that tamales were first made by the Aztecs ten thousand years ago.

Cuban tamales typically have a fine mince or chop of cooked meat, usually pork or chicken, mixed into the corn batter, whereas Mexican tamales smear the masa on the inside of a corn husk, then add filling before rolling and tying it.

Some are wrapped in banana leaves, while others use corn husks. Corn husks are more common in Mexico, while banana leaves are used in many central and south American varieties. The Peruvian tamal is slightly different than others, using for its dough ground-up white corn as opposed to yellow corn.

The difference is that the Venezuelan hallaca has a singular type of filling and utilizes banana leaves as its wrapper, whereas Mexican tamales can have a variety of fillings and are typically wrapped in corn husks.

This form of tamale, filled with a rich meaty stew, is a comfort at Christmastime. Hallacas are a Venezuelan favorite in December.